


Some Things Never Change

by Kimium



Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates, Fire Emblem: Kakusei | Fire Emblem: Awakening
Genre: But most likely Revelations, Friendship, Gen, Gift Fic, Healing, Mention of blood, Mention of fighting and killing, Mention of wounds scaring, One Shot, Set in Bad Timeline (Awakening), Set in an ambiguous route in Fates, Surprising Amount of Fluff, infirmaries, injuries
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-12
Updated: 2019-07-12
Packaged: 2020-06-26 21:33:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,144
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19776853
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kimium/pseuds/Kimium
Summary: One Shot. Set in Bad Timeline (Awakening) and (Probably) Revelations Route (Fates)"Touching his side, Owain remembered Brady’s words. He should also change his bandages. Glancing at Inigo, who had still paused his motions, Owain half crawled over.“Let me?” Owain asked.Inigo looked at Owain’s side. “You’re sure? You’re not in too much pain?”“I’m fine.” Owain answered. “Besides, it’s faster when someone helps.”A short fic in where Owain and Inigo help each other with their wounds no matter what dimension they're in.





	Some Things Never Change

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ObscureReference](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ObscureReference/gifts).



> Hello all!
> 
> (First, my internet decided to FLAKE at the MOMENT I hit publish so this is my second time doing this and I'm so livid at my connection RIP ME.)
> 
> Wow, look at me go! I had such a hard time writing but then tonight I wrote this within an hour. This fic is directly inspired by the post (link is right [here](https://someobscurereference.tumblr.com/post/186206960485/cloudsaysthings-quirk-y-angsty-romantic).) from my co writer, ObscureReference! She's working so hard and stressed from school so this fic is a gift for her! Friend, I hope you enjoy this fic even if it's a short one!
> 
> As always feel free to leave kudos and comments as those always inspire me and make my day! Also, if you want to you can check my tumblr right [here](http://www.kimium.tumblr.com).

An ambush. Owain licked his dry lips, tasting a tinge of copper and iron, before swallowing. The thick darkness of the woods created a blanket over the area, despite morning attempting to break across the sky. A pale streak of pink and purple desperately dashed across the sky in a muted ray of colour against a dark blue sky that slowly was easing into a lighter tone. However, in the forest, with the dense tree branches reaching up into the sky, as though they were trying to grasp the sun and choke the light out, visibility was lowered. It was only for that reason that the Plegian soldiers were able to dart out from the forest and surround them. Owain adjusted his grip on his sword and shifted his stance.

Beside him Laurent flipped his tome open and Noire adjusted her bow. With Owain the only close-range fighter in the midst of mages he had to be swift. The first one to make a move had the advantage, or so Robin had once said. With the words echoing in his mind, Owain made the move, rushing at the enemy. Ambushing was one thing, but surprise only worked if the first move was made. Behind him the swishing sound of arrows flying and magic cracking filled the air. Keeping his stance low, Owain swung his sword and connected, digging the blade into the mage. Screams soon echoed in the forest and the smell of blood started to taint the greenery.

Owain moved through it all, his mind focusing on the task at hand. Idle thought was the hidden enemy in battle and Owain wasn’t going to falter because his mind decided to wander. Gripping his sword tighter, Owain pivoted and slashed at another mage. Thankfully, their numbers weren’t overwhelming. If they could fight out of the ambush, they’d be able to regroup with the others. After all, the apocalypse hadn’t negated the need for supplies and recon.

Survival depended on vigilance, supplies, and defeating their enemies. Slashing yet another Plegian mage down, Owain sidestepped a blast of magic before rolling and ducking as Noire fired another arrow at them. The dull thunk as the arrow hit flesh silently hit Owain’s ears. It was almost scary how Owain managed to shove the noise aside. Standing up, ignoring the grass that stuck to his hair and clothes, Owain charged at the enemy. They started to step back, almost in a retreat, but one of them fired a spell at Owain.

The lateness of the spell broke Owain’s stride as he turned, rather painfully on his ankle, in order to avoid the brunt of the attack. It still wasn’t enough and the hot flash of pain and burning hit Owain harshly. His mind screamed, temporarily breaking in concentration, but Owain scrambled to piece his focus together, like a child desperately cobbling together a broken plate, and stabbed the mage. His momentum disjointed the mages, who probably expected him to falter longer regardless if the spell hadn’t hit him directly. It was enough of an opening for Laurent to fire another spell and finish off the rest of the mages.

The calm, serene moment after a battle always rode high with adrenaline and fuzziness. Owain’s brain always took a split second in limbo, alert but slowly fading into equilibrium. The rustling of Noire and Laurent walking to his side helped jolt Owain out of combat mode. Wincing, he lowered his sword, ignoring both the ache in his arms and the burning pain at his side.

“That will have to be treated.” Laurent said as he pushed his glasses up. “How are you feeling?”

Owain inhaled and winced as the burning sensation in his side ached with the inflation of the muscles and skin. “It could be worse.”

“It could also be better.” Laurent countered. “Let’s go. Noire?”

“C-Coming.” Noire half stammered as she trotted around the corpses, tugging some of the arrows out of the bodies.

Owain turned his gaze away from the gruesome sight of Noire’s arrow retrieval and glanced at the direction they had been on before the Plegian mages. Shuffling, Owain resisted the urge to press his hand to his side (the sweat and grime from his hands would only hurt the wound more) and began to walk with Laurent and Noire. They said nothing through the rest of their journey.

~

“Y-You need to be c-careful!” Brady half said half sobbed as he motioned for Owain to sit down.

“I was.” Owain replied, grimacing as he did as Brady requested. “The spell merely grazed me.”

“That is m-more than a graze.” Brady shot back with misty eyes as he waved his staff in Owain’s general direction.

The cooling sensation of a healing spell hit Owain and he let out an involuntary groan of relief. Instantly the burning left and in its wake was sore, tender skin. Brady lowered his staff and then leaned closer, trained eyes staring at the wound. Owain sat up straight, thankful that the action didn’t send a wave of agony through his body, and waited. A moment later Brady leaned back and nodded to himself.

“You’re going to have to take it easy.” He slowly said, as though if he talked faster, he’d begin to stammer and sob again. “Don’t lay on that side for a few nights.”

“I won’t.” Owain promised.

“G-good.” Brady then turned and washed his hands in a deep basin of water. “Can you take y-your shirt off? I-I need to b-bandage the wound.”

Owain gingerly tried to raise his arms. A dull ache filled his side but with careful motions Owain managed to take his shirt off. Brady at once grabbed a large jar and opened it. The pungent smell of mint as well as what-ever-else was used in the concoction hit Owain’s nose. His nose wrinkled but Owain said nothing as Brady carefully applied the ointment to the wound. The cooling sensation was so strong it almost felt like icy fire. Owain squirmed a little but didn’t move as Brady then bandaged the wound, wrapping clean cloth around it.

“C-change this tomorrow.” Brady instructed. “I-I’ll give you a smaller jar of ointment.”

“Thank you.”

Owain lowered his arms and grabbed his shirt, putting it on. He was barely done putting his shirt on when the door opened and Inigo half hobbled in. At once Owain smelt dirt and blood as well as grass. Inigo’s face was half streaked in a mixture of the three and the sweat on his brow informed Owain that he had walked without assistance when he really shouldn’t have done that.

Words, maybe cruel, jabbing words tried to form on Owain’s tongue but he forced them down. The days of cruel teasing, words that only children would utter had all but died with the war. Bickering, bullying, and teasing were not welcomed when they had to survive. Dislike among the group would only cause issues. Owain wasn’t sure if he should thank the apocalypse for forcing him to grow out of his childish ways in such a violent manner. Instead, Owain moved, almost on instinct, to try and help Inigo sit down. Brady was already fluttering, once again giving a very distraught glance in their direction.

“Y-You’re still injured too, Owain.” Brady said instead of anything directed to Inigo.

“Y-Yeah, I g-got this.” Inigo half croaked out, flopping rather harshly into the chair Owain had just been occupying.

“Bullshit you do.” Owain muttered, “Who let you walk back to base like that?”

“I did.” Inigo replied. “It looks worse than it feels.”

“Right.” Owain stepped aside and let Brady take a wet cloth to Inigo’s face, washing the grime off. “What happened out there?”

“Soldiers.” Inigo answered. “Soldiers and still wet ground from the night before. That storm hit more in the south after all. I slipped. Most of these injuries are from rocks and such—” Inigo winced as Brady hit a particular area at his side.

Owain bit his tongue and didn’t comment. The blood that oozed out of the wound was from a cut too clean and straight for it to not be from a weapon. The look Brady gave indicated he was thinking the same thoughts as Owain. Inigo half chuckled and shut his eyes, the gleam of sweat on his brow gliding down his face. Brady turned to wash the cloth and then grabbed his staff. The light of healing magic hit Inigo and Owain did not miss the exhale from Inigo’s lips.

“I’m g-going to need more t-than one round.” Brady coughed. “But can you remove your shirt?”

This was where Owain made his exit. Inigo would be fine and Owain had no more business now that he had helped Inigo out initially. Silently, Owain walked to the door and left, shutting it as he did so. Ambling down the hallway, Owain went to his room and flopped down on the half- made futon on the ground. Closing his eyes, Owain exhaled softly, making sure he wasn’t on his bad side. A couple other futons were in the room but Owain wasn’t too sure who would take them. They didn’t have assigned spaces, not caring who else was in the room. Luxuries such as privacy weren’t affordable in their present reality. What mattered was sleep, especially to the injured. That was Owain’s main priority. Shutting his eyes, drowsiness hit Owain with the force of a galloping Pegasus. Managing the energy to crawl into his futon, Owain drifted to sleep.

~

Owain woke to shuffling and light cussing. Fluttering his eyes open, Owain glanced over to see Inigo sitting up in the other futon beside Owain. In his hands were bandages, tangled and twisted. At his side were the dirty bandages, splotched with blood and ointment. Inigo’s eyes were watering and with each motion he gasped out, biting his lip. Owain shuffled and sat up carefully. His motions caused Inigo to look at him, stopping his own motions.

“You’re awake.”

“I am.” Owain carefully stretched. “What time is it?”

“It’s mid afternoon.” Inigo answered. “Or so Lucina told me before she left.”

So, Lucina had been in the room earlier. Owain bit his lip. That meant he roughly had five to six hours sleep. Not ideal when injured but again, luxuries. Touching his side, Owain remembered Brady’s words. He should also change his bandages. Glancing at Inigo, who had still paused his motions, Owain half crawled over.

“Let me?” Owain asked.

Inigo looked at Owain’s side. “You’re sure? You’re not in too much pain?”

“I’m fine.” Owain answered. “Besides, it’s faster when someone helps.”

“You’re right.” Inigo handed the bandages over to Owain and shoved the ointment jar over. “You forgot it in the infirmary.”

“Thanks.” Owain opened the jar, careful to not dip the clean bandages on the floor, and began to apply the ointment to Inigo’s side.

“Ah, thank you.” Inigo groaned out.

“You’re welcome.” Owain gently touched the skin. The wound would scar. Not a huge scar, but definitely another collection of raised white skin. Just another souvenir.

Silence filled their space. Owain wasn’t about to ask how Inigo received the wound. For one it could come across as insensitive and two, why ask a question with an obvious answer? Instead, Owain focused on making sure the wound was covered with the ointment and wrapped firmly but comfortably.

“How’s that?”

Inigo twisted a little. “It’s great. Thank you.” He then gingerly moved over. “Your turn.”

“My?” Owain blinked. “You don’t have to.”

“I know.” Inigo answered. “But I want to, so come closer.”

Owain did as Inigo asked. With gentle motions, Inigo carefully undid the bandages around Owain’s side, allowing the dirty bandages to fall to the ground. The skin around Owain’s side was red, puffy, and jagged. Inigo hissed at the sight.

“Burn wounds always heal the worse.” Inigo said as he reached for the ointment.

“Yeah, this will scar.” Owain calmly replied. “That’s just how it works.”

“You’re right.” Inigo applied the ointment to Owain’s wound. “But we’re alive.”

The statement weighed heavily in the air. Owain tasted it, rich and bitter at the same time. “Yes, we’re alive.” Owain agreed.

Inigo bandaged the wound without another word.

~

Odin groaned and shifted in the infirmary’s bed, his vision shifting and going fuzzy around the corners before settling into the muted neutrals of the infirmary’s colour palate. The pain that radiated on his arm wasn’t letting up and no doubt the sword Odin had taken to the arm had gifted Odin a wound that wouldn’t be silent. Yet another screaming injury that would scar. Wincing, Odin still attempted sitting up, ignoring the pain as the screaming increased. It was only with the sound of the door opening and a startled gasp that Odin stopped his attempt.

“Odin!” Elise’s voice rang clear. “You’re supposed to be lying down.”

“Lady Elise.” Odin spoke, his voice dry and his throat aching like he had swallowed sand. “Good morning.”

“It’s good afternoon.” Elise corrected. “And you’re not sitting up. That wound was nasty. Complete with a mild poison.”

Great. No wonder there was still pain. “Ah, I see.” Elise gave Odin a look. Odin sheepishly returned the look with a smile. “I’ll cooperate.”

“Good. I don’t want to tell Leo you’re being a bad patient.”

“I’m always good.” Odin assured Elise.

She once again looked at Odin but continued with her treatment. The healing magic in Nohr wasn’t didn’t feel as cool as the one in Ylisse. Rather, the healing magic in Nohr was soothing, like a cup of lemon ginger tea to a sore throat. By the time Elise was done, Odin’s arm wasn’t screaming in agony anymore, but the pain still throbbed dully under his skin.

“We’ll have to bandage this.” Elise told Odin. “I cannot heal everything with magic.” She then pulled out a small vial. “You’re also going to have to drink this. It will make sure the effects of the poison are completely flushed.”

“Thanks.” Odin took the vial and downed it like a shot. It tasted fruity and minty. A far cry from the worst medicine Odin had taken in the past.

“You’re welcome.” Elise grabbed some ointment and bandages. “Sit still, please.”

Doing as Elise requested, Odin waited until she finished before speaking. “Thanks again.”

“You’re welcome. Remember to rebandage this tomorrow.” Elise said as she turned to gather some medical supplies for Odin. “You can come here for that or you can do it yourself if you’re not in too much pain.”

Odin took the materials and thanked Elise again. Leaving the infirmary, Odin returned to his quarters. As he shut the door Odin was hit with the memory of his burn from the Plegian mages. Half chuckling to himself, Odin flopped onto his (actual not a futon) bed and closed his eyes in his (actual) private room. How strange the same incident of injury and return to room could be so vastly different. Smiling to himself, Odin sat up and hobbled to his desk. No doubt he would have to sent a report to Leo and thankfully Odin was ambidextrous. Grabbing a piece of parchment, Odin began to write. The afternoon blurred and by the time Odin had his report completed it was almost dinner time and his arm had bled through the bandage, spreading like ink spilled on parchment. Oops. Odin swallowed and touched the wound. It wasn’t bleeding too heavily. The most Odin had probably done was irritate the wound slightly. Still, he couldn’t go out to dinner with the bandages soiled. He’d have to change bandages. With one arm it would be a challenge but Odin could do it…

“Odin?” A knock filled the room. “It’s me.”

“Laslow?” Odin half asked, as if he had to.

The door opened and Laslow poked his head in. “They said you were up and so I figured—” Laslow paused. “What have you done?”

“Me?” Odin asked. “I have finished my report to Lord Leo and—”

“Not that. Your arm.” Laslow sighed. “You moved too fast too soon.”

There was no sense denying it. “Guilty as charged.” Odin muttered.

Laslow snorted, almost friendly, and then walked in, sitting down on the bed. “Come here. I’ll change the bandages for you.”

“You don’t have to…”

“I don’t but I want to.” Laslow countered, grabbing the ointment and the bandages. “Come on, dinner’s waiting and I’m starving.”

Odin half laughed and stood up from the desk, walking over to his bed, plopping down in front of Laslow. Laslow reached for the bandages and undid them, grimacing as he saw the wound. Odin brightly smiled and Laslow gave a shake of his head. Taking the ointment, Laslow rubbed it on the wound, making sure to cover the entire area.

“I hope you washed your hands recently.” Odin muttered.

“I did!” Laslow pouted. “I do know basic first aid.” He then half laughed. “I’m also very qualified in redressing wounds from a certain blond man.”

“Hey…” Odin said but his voice lifted lightly. “I’m also qualified in redressing wounds from a certain… not pink haired man.”

Laslow laughed and finished with the ointment. Putting the lid on properly, Laslow set the ointment jar aside and grabbed the bandages. “I suppose we both are qualified. Lift your arm, please?”

Odin did as Laslow requested, “Thank you. For doing this.”

“Not a problem.” Laslow immediately responded, “You’re lucky I’m the one who came to find you and not Leo or Niles. You’d be scolded.”

“Me? Scolded? Never.” Odin even placed his free hand over his chest. “Laslow, how could you even suggest that?”

Laslow laughed again. “I just know you too well.” He then finished wrapping the bandages. “Done. How is it?”

Odin carefully moved his arm, testing his range of motion. “It’s perfect. Thanks again.”

“Not a problem.” Laslow once again said.

“You’re not injured anywhere, are you?” Odin asked. “I feel like I need to return the favour.”

“I’m not injured.” Laslow slowly responding a “Not this time” hanging in the air unspoken.

“I don’t want to say next time, but do know that I’m always here to help.”

“Thanks Odin.” Laslow stood up and took the ointment and the bandages off the bed, tossing the bandages into the bin at the side of Odin’s desk. “I’ll keep that in mind.” He then laughed softly. “You know, some things never change, do they?”

Odin swallowed. They were in another war, been injured, and would be injured again. They’d be healed again too. Those aspects of their lives never seemed to leave, always lingering and following like a bad spirit. Yet, in a strange way, the familiarity of Laslow willing to re-bandage his wounds lightened the cycle, making reality of their future slightly easier to breathe and swallow.

“You’re right.” Odin replied. “Some things never change.”

**Author's Note:**

> Healing: I headcanon that healing is like a boost to the body and helps wounds heal faster with the aid of natural healing rather than waving a staff and all wounds are instantly healed.
> 
> Ambidextrous: I recently headcanoned (ie: about half an hour ago) that Owain/Odin is ambidextrous because Why Not?


End file.
